The Security Council, acting by consensus today, decided to renew for 12 months authorizations allowing international naval forces to join in the fight against piracy in the waters off the coast of Somalia. Adopting resolution 2442 (2018) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the....

The Security Council, acting by consensus today, decided to renew for 12 months authorizations allowing international naval forces to join in the fight against piracy in the waters off the coast of Somalia.

Adopting resolution 2442 (2018) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the 15-member Council deplored all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Somali coast. While noting improvements in Somalia, it nevertheless recognized that piracy exacerbates instability in the country and stressed the need for a comprehensive, international response that also works to tackle the underlying causes of the phenomenon.

By the terms of the text, the Council encouraged the Parliament of Somalia to approve a draft coast guard law and urged the Somali authorities to continue efforts towards passing a comprehensive set of anti-piracy and maritime laws without further delay. It also called upon the authorities to make all efforts to bring to justice those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake criminal acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, while calling upon Member States to assist Somalia ‑ at the request of Somali authorities and with notification to the Secretary-General ‑ to strengthen its maritime capacity.

Welcoming the initiative of the Seychelles to establish a court for piracy and maritime crime and the successful prosecution of piracy cases by that entity, the Council also recognized the need for States, international and regional organizations and other appropriate partners to share information for anti-piracy law enforcement purposes. In addition, it noted the need for those partners to keep under review the possibility of applying targeted sanctions against individuals or entities that plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from piracy operations if they meet the listing criteria set out in paragraph 43 of resolution 2093 (2013). The Council also called upon all States to cooperate fully with the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group.

By other terms of the resolution, the Council renewed its call upon States and regional organizations that are able to do so to join the fight against piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia by deploying naval vessels, arms and military aircraft; providing basing and logistical support for counter-piracy forces; and seizing and disposing of boats, vessels, arms and other related equipment used in the commission of piracy-related crimes. It further encouraged the Government of Somalia to accede to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and urged all States to take appropriate actions under their domestic laws to prevent the illicit financing of piracy acts and the laundering of its proceeds.

The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 10:07 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 2442 (2018) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recognizing that 2018 marks the tenth anniversary of resolution 1816 on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia and recalling its previous resolutions concerning the situation in Somalia, especially resolutions 1814 (2008), 1816 (2008), 1838 (2008), 1844 (2008), 1846 (2008), 1851 (2008), 1897 (2009), 1918 (2010), 1950 (2010), 1976 (2011), 2015 (2011), 2020 (2011), 2077 (2012) 2125 (2013), 2184 (2014), 2246 (2015), and 2316 (2016) and 2383 (2017) as well as the Statement of its President (S/PRST/2010/16) of 25 August 2010 and (S/PRST/2012/24) of 19 November 2012,

“Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General (S/2018/903), as requested by resolution 2383 (2017), on the implementation of that resolution and on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia,

“Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and unity of Somalia, including Somalia’s sovereign rights in accordance with international law, with respect to offshore natural resources, including fisheries,

“Noting that the joint counter-piracy efforts of States, regions, organizations, the maritime industry, the private sector, think tanks, and civil society have resulted in a steady decline in pirate attacks as well as hijackings since 2011, with no successful ship hijackings reported off the coast of Somalia since March 2017 however, recognizing the ongoing threat that resurgent piracy and armed robbery at sea poses to the prompt, safe, and effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia and the region, to the safety of seafarers and other persons, to international navigation and the safety of commercial maritime routes, and to other ships, including fishing vessels operating in conformity with international law, commending countries that have deployed naval forces in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin to dissuade piracy networks from carrying out acts of piracy,

“Welcoming the reinstatement of the Somali Maritime Security Coordination Committee (MSCC) meeting held from 9 to 10 July 2018 between the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Member States and international partners which called for enhanced cooperation in strengthening Somalia’s maritime security as a key priority for both the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States and urged the National Security Council to agree on a delineation of roles of the Somali maritime forces, as required by the Transition Plan and recognizing the importance of engaging in transition planning,

“Further reaffirming that international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, sets out the legal framework applicable to activities in the ocean, including countering piracy and armed robbery at sea,

“Recognizing the need to investigate and prosecute not only suspects captured at sea, but also anyone who incites or intentionally facilitates piracy operations, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from such attacks, and reiterating its concern over persons suspected of piracy having been released without facing justice, reaffirming that the failure to prosecute persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia undermines anti-piracy efforts,

“Noting with concern that the continuing limited capacity and domestic legislation to facilitate the custody and prosecution of suspected pirates after their capture has hindered more robust international action against pirates off the coast of Somalia, which has led to pirates in many cases being released without facing justice, regardless of whether there is sufficient evidence to support prosecution, and reiterating that, consistent with the provisions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning the repression of piracy, the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation provides for parties to create criminal offences, establish jurisdiction, and accept delivery of persons responsible for, or suspected of seizing, or exercising control over, a ship by force or threat thereof, or any other form of intimidation,

“Underlining the primary responsibility of the Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, noting the several requests from Somali authorities for international assistance to counter piracy off its coast, including the letter of 25 October 2018, from the Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Somalia to the United Nations expressing the appreciation of Somali authorities to the Security Council for its assistance, expressing their willingness to consider working with other States and regional organizations to combat piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, asking member states and international organizations to support the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in its Exclusive Economic Zone, and requesting that the provisions of resolution 2383 (2017) be renewed for an additional 12 months,

“Welcoming the participation of the Federal Government of Somalia and regional partners in the 21st plenary session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) in Nairobi, Kenya, 11–13 July 2018, co-hosted by the Indian Ocean Commission under the Chairmanship of Mauritius,

“Recognizing the work of the CGPCS and the Law Enforcement Task Force to facilitate the prosecution of suspected pirates, and the intentions of the Regional Capacity Building Working Group to identify regional priorities and coordination of capacity-building activities and regional responsibilities,

“Noting the progress made to enhance Somali capacity building through the National Maritime Coordination Committee (NMCC) to assess maritime priorities between the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States,

“Welcoming the financing provided by the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Combating Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (the Trust Fund) to strengthen regional ability to prosecute suspected pirates and imprison those convicted in accordance with applicable international human rights law, noting with appreciation the assistance provided by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Maritime Crime Programme, and being determined to continue efforts to ensure that pirates are held accountable,

“Commending the efforts of the European Union Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA and EUCAP Somalia, Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 151, the counter-piracy activities of the African Union onshore in Somalia and other States acting in a national capacity in cooperation with Somali authorities and each other to suppress piracy and to protect ships transiting through the waters off the coast of Somalia, and welcoming the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction Initiative (SHADE) and the efforts of individual countries, including China, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation, which have deployed naval counter-piracy missions in the region,

“Noting the efforts of flag States for taking measures to permit vessels sailing under their flag transiting the High Risk Area (HRA) to embark vessel protection detachments and privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP), and to allow charters that favour arrangements that make use of such measures, while urging States to regulate such activities in accordance with applicable international law,

“Welcoming and encouraging the capacity-building efforts in the region made by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) funded Djibouti Code of Conduct, the Trust Fund and the European Union’s activities under the EU Capacity Building Mission in Somalia (EUCAP Somalia) which assists Somalia in strengthening its maritime security capacity in order to enable it to enforce maritime law more effectively, and recognizing the need for all engaged international and regional organizations to coordinate and cooperate fully,

“Supporting the development of a coastguard at the federal level and coastguard police at the Federal Member State level, noting with appreciation the efforts made by the IMO and the shipping industry to develop and update guidance, best management practices, and recommendations to assist ships to prevent and suppress piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia, including in the Gulf of Aden, and in relevant parts of the Indian Ocean that are still within the High Risk Area and recognizing the work of the IMO and the CGPCS in this regard, noting the efforts of the International Organization for Standardization, which has developed industry standards of training and certification for Private Maritime Security Companies when providing PCASP on board ships in high-risk areas, and further welcoming the European Union’s EUCAP Somalia, which is working to develop the maritime security capacities of Somalia,

“Underlining the importance of continuing to enhance the collection, preservation, and transmission to competent authorities of evidence of acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and welcoming the ongoing work of the IMO, INTERPOL, and industry groups to develop guidance to seafarers on preservation of crime scenes following acts of piracy, and noting the importance of enabling seafarers to give evidence in criminal proceedings to prosecute acts of piracy,

“Further recognizing that pirate networks continue to rely on kidnapping and hostage-taking to help generate funding to purchase weapons, gain recruits, and continue their operational activities, thereby jeopardizing the safety and security of civilians and restricting the flow of commerce, and welcoming international efforts to coordinate the work of investigators and prosecutors, inter alia, through the Law Enforcement Task Force and collect and share information to disrupt the pirate enterprise, as exemplified by INTERPOL’s Global Database on Maritime Piracy, and commending the establishment of the Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar, the sister centre of the Regional Centre for Operational Coordination (RCOC) in Seychelles following the signing of the Regional Agreement for the Setting up of a Regional Maritime Information Exchange and Sharing Mechanism in the Western Indian Ocean by Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Union of Comoros and Seychelles , including the establishment of the Piracy Prosecution Readiness Plan which, under the auspices of UNODC and in partnership with EU NAVFOR, will further develop the region’s capacity to conduct piracy prosecutions,

“Reaffirming international condemnation of acts of kidnapping and hostage-taking, including offences contained within the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, strongly condemning the continuing practice of hostage-taking by pirates operating off the coast of Somalia, expressing serious concern at the inhumane conditions hostages face in captivity, recognizing the adverse impact on their families, calling for the immediate release of all remaining hostages, and noting the importance of cooperation between Member States on the issue of hostage-taking and the prosecution of suspected pirates for taking hostages,

“Commending Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, and the United Republic of Tanzania, for their efforts to prosecute suspected pirates in their national courts, and noting with appreciation the assistance provided by the UNODC Maritime Crime Programme, the Trust Fund, and other international organizations and donors, in coordination with the CGPCS, to support Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, the United Republic of Tanzania, Somalia, and other States in the region with their efforts to prosecute, or incarcerate in a third State after prosecution elsewhere, pirates, including facilitators and financiers ashore, consistent with applicable international human rights law, and emphasizing the need for States and international organizations to further enhance international efforts in this regard,

“Welcoming the readiness of the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States to cooperate with each other and with States who have prosecuted suspected pirates with a view to enabling convicted pirates to be repatriated back to Somalia under suitable prisoner transfer arrangements, consistent with applicable international law, including international human rights law, and acknowledging the return from Seychelles to Somalia of convicted prisoners willing and eligible to serve their sentences in Somalia, and noting that the sentences served must be those passed by the courts of the prosecuting states and that any proposal to vary the sentences must be in conformity with the 2011 Transfer Agreement with the Seychelles,

“Welcoming the work of the Maritime Security Coordination Committee (MSCC), the central mechanism for developing capability and identifying and channelling support, as highlighted at the London Somalia Conference in May 2017, and encouraging the Somali national and regional administrations to take increasing responsibility for counter-piracy initiatives,

“Expressing serious concern over reports of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) in Somalia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and noting the complex relationship between IUU fishing and piracy, recognizing that IUU fishing accounts for millions of dollars in lost revenue for Somalia each year, and can contribute to destabilization among coastal communities,

“Noting Somalia’s accession to the FAO’s Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, recognizing the projects supported by FAO and UNODC aimed at enhancing Somalia’s capacity to combat such activities, and stressing the need for States and international organizations to further intensify their support to the Federal Government of Somalia, at its request, in enhancing Somalia’s capacity to combat such activities,

“Recognizing the ongoing efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia towards the development of a legal regime for the distribution of fishing licences, commending in this regard the implementation of a component of the EU-funded Programme to Promote Regional Maritime Security (CCAP) with FAO aims to promote proper and transparent licensed and regulated fishing with regional states, and encouraging further efforts in this regard, with the support of the international community,

“Recalling the reports of the Secretary General which illustrate the seriousness of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia and provide useful guidance for the investigation and prosecution of pirates, including on specialized anti-piracy courts,

“Remaining concerned that four-Iranian seafarers from the FV Siraj remain as hostages inside Somalia in appalling conditions, and welcoming the work of International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) and Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) in the provision of post trauma intervention and financial support to victims of piracy and their families; as well as the CGPCS Piracy Survivors Family Fund (PSFF), which provides funds for the survivors of Somali piracy, and for their families, to provide a range of support during and after captivity and recognizing the need to continue supporting these initiatives and contributions to funds,

“Recognizing the progress made by the CGPCS and UNODC in the use of public information tools to raise awareness of the dangers of piracy and highlight the best practices to eradicate this criminal phenomenon,

“Noting efforts by UNODC and UNDP and the funding provided by the Trust Fund, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other donors to develop regional judicial and law enforcement capacity to investigate, arrest, and prosecute suspected pirates and to incarcerate convicted pirates consistent with applicable international human rights law,

“Bearing in mind the Djibouti Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, noting the operations of information-sharing centres in, Kenya, and the United Republic of Tanzania, recognizing the efforts of signatory States to develop the appropriate regulatory and legislative frameworks to combat piracy, enhance their capacity to patrol the waters of the region, interdict suspect vessels, and prosecute suspected pirates,

“Emphasizing that peace and stability within Somalia, the strengthening of State institutions, economic and social development, and respect for human rights and the rule of law are necessary to create the conditions for a durable eradication of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and further emphasizing that Somalia’s long-term security rests with the effective development by Somali authorities of the Somali Coast Guard and Maritime Police Units, Somali National Army, and Somali Police Force,

“Welcoming the Padang Communique and Maritime Cooperation Declaration adopted by the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) at its 15th Council of Ministers meeting, which call upon members to support and strengthen cooperation to address maritime challenges including piracy and illegal trafficking of drugs,

“Welcoming the publication in June 2018 by BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping, International Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs, Intertanko, The Oil Companies International Marine Forum and others, of version 5 of Best Management Practices to deter Piracy and Enhance Maritime Security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea (BMP5), acknowledging that the information and guidance contained within helps to reduce the risks to mariners and seafarers engaged in their lawful occupations,

“Recognizing that the ongoing instability in Somalia and the acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off its coast are inextricably linked, and stressing the need to continue the comprehensive response by the international community to repress piracy and armed robbery at sea and tackle its underlying causes,

“Determining that the incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, as well as the activity of pirate groups in Somalia, are an important factor exacerbating the situation in Somalia, which continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

“1. Reiterates that it condemns and deplores all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;

“2. While noting improvements in Somalia, recognizes that piracy exacerbates instability in Somalia by introducing large amounts of illicit cash that fuels additional crime, corruption, and terrorism;

“3. Stresses the need for a comprehensive response to prevent and suppress piracy and tackle its underlying causes by the international community in collaboration with Somali authorities and other relevant actors;

“4. Underlines the primary responsibility of the Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, encourages the approval by the Parliament of the draft coast guard law which the Somali authorities, with the support of EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta and EUCAP Somalia have submitted to the Council of Ministers and urges the Somali authorities, to continue their work to pass a comprehensive set of anti-piracy and maritime laws without further delay and establish security forces with clear roles and jurisdictions to enforce these laws and to continue to develop, with international support as appropriate, the capacity of Somali courts to investigate and prosecute persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from such attacks;

“5. Recognizes the need to continue investigating and prosecuting those who plan, organize, or illicitly finance or profit from pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy, urges States, working in conjunction with relevant international organizations, to adopt legislation to facilitate prosecution of suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia;

“6. Calls upon the Somali authorities to interdict, and upon interdiction to have mechanisms in place to safely return effects seized by pirates, investigate and prosecute pirates and to patrol the waters off the coast of Somalia to prevent and suppress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea;

“7. Calls upon the Somali authorities to make all efforts to bring to justice those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate, or undertake criminal acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, and calls upon Member States to assist Somalia, at the request of Somali authorities and with notification to the Secretary-General, to strengthen maritime capacity in Somalia, including regional authorities and, stresses that any measures undertaken pursuant to this paragraph shall be consistent with applicable international law, in particular international human rights law;

“8. Calls upon States to cooperate also, as appropriate, on the issue of hostage taking, and the prosecution of suspected pirates for taking hostages;

“9. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all seafarers held hostage by Somali pirates, and further calls upon the Somali authorities and all relevant stakeholders to redouble their efforts to secure their safe and immediate release;

“10. Welcomes the initiative of the Seychelles authorities to establish a court for piracy and maritime crime and further welcomes the successful prosecution of piracy cases by this body;

“11. Recognizes the need for States, international and regional organizations, and other appropriate partners to exchange evidence and information for anti-piracy law enforcement purposes with a view to ensuring effective prosecution of suspected, and imprisonment of convicted, pirates and with a view to the arrest and prosecution of key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance and profit from piracy operations, and keeps under review the possibility of applying targeted sanctions against individuals or entities that plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from piracy operations if they meet the listing criteria set out in paragraph 43 of resolution 2093 (2013), and calls upon all States to cooperate fully with the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group, including on information-sharing regarding possible violations of the arms embargo or charcoal ban;

“12. Renews its call upon States and regional organizations that are able to do so to take part in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, in particular, consistent with this resolution and international law, by deploying naval vessels, arms, and military aircraft, by providing basing and logistical support for counter-piracy forces, and by seizing and disposing of boats, vessels, arms, and other related equipment used in the commission of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, or for which there are reasonable grounds for suspecting such use;

“13. Highlights the importance of coordination among States and international organizations in order to deter acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, commends the work of the CGPCS to facilitate such coordination in cooperation with the IMO, flag States, and Somali authorities, and urges continued support of these efforts;

“14. Encourages Member States to continue to cooperate with Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea, notes the primary role of Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and decides that, for a further period of 13 months from the date of this resolution to renew the authorizations as set out in paragraph 14 of resolution 2383 (2017) granted to States and regional organizations cooperating with Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, for which advance notification has been provided by Somali authorities to the Secretary-General;

“15. Affirms that the authorizations renewed in this resolution apply only with respect to the situation in Somalia and shall not affect the rights, obligations, or responsibilities of Member States under international law, including any rights or obligations under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with respect to any other situation, and underscores in particular that this resolution shall not be considered as establishing customary international law; and affirms further that such authorizations have been renewed in response to the 25 October 2018 letter conveying the request of Somali authorities;

“16. Decides that the arms embargo on Somalia imposed by paragraph 5 of resolution 733 (1992) and further elaborated upon by paragraphs 1 and 2 of resolution 1425 (2002) and modified by paragraphs 33 to 38 of resolution 2093 does not apply to supplies of weapons and military equipment or the provision of assistance destined for the sole use of Member States, international, regional, and subregional organizations undertaking measures in accordance with paragraph 14 above;

“17. Requests that cooperating States take appropriate steps to ensure that the activities they undertake pursuant to the authorizations in paragraph 14 do not have the practical effect of denying or impairing the right of innocent passage to the ships of any third State;

“18. Calls upon all States, and in particular flag, port, and coastal States, States of the nationality of victims and perpetrators of piracy and armed robbery, and other States with relevant jurisdiction under international law and national legislation, to cooperate in determining jurisdiction and in the investigation and prosecution of all persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from such attack, consistent with applicable international law including international human rights law, to ensure that all pirates handed over to judicial authorities are subject to a judicial process, and to render assistance by, among other actions, providing disposition and logistics assistance with respect to persons under their jurisdiction and control, such as victims, witnesses, and persons detained as a result of operations conducted under this resolution;

“19. Calls upon all States to criminalize piracy under their domestic law and to favourably consider the prosecution of suspected, and imprisonment of those convicted, pirates apprehended off the coast of Somalia, and their facilitators and financiers ashore, consistent with applicable international law, including international human rights law, and decides to keep these matters under review, including, as appropriate, the establishment of specialized anti-piracy courts in Somalia with substantial international participation and/or support as set forth in resolution 2015 (2011), and encourages the CGPCS to continue its discussions in this regard;

“20. Welcomes, in this context, the UNODC Maritime Crime Programme’s continued work with authorities in Somalia and in neighbouring States to ensure that individuals suspected of piracy are prosecuted and those convicted are imprisoned in a manner consistent with international law, including international human rights law;

“21. Encourages the Federal Government of Somalia to accede to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, as part of its efforts to target money laundering and financial support structures on which piracy networks survive;

“22. Urges all States to take appropriate actions under their existing domestic law to prevent the illicit financing of acts of piracy and the laundering of its proceeds;

“23. Urges States, in cooperation with INTERPOL and Europol, to further investigate international criminal networks involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia, including those responsible for illicit financing and facilitation;

“24. Urges all States to ensure that counter-piracy activities, particularly land-based activities, take into consideration the need to protect women and children from exploitation, including sexual exploitation;

“25. Urges all States to share information with INTERPOL for use in the global piracy database, through appropriate channels;

“26. Commends the contributions of the Trust Fund and the IMO-funded Djibouti Code of Conduct and urges both state and non-State actors affected by piracy, most notably the international shipping community, to contribute to them;

“27. Urges States parties to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation to implement fully their relevant obligations under these conventions and customary international law and to cooperate with the UNODC, IMO, and other States and international organizations to build judicial capacity for the successful prosecution of persons suspected of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;

“28. Acknowledges the recommendations and guidance provided by the IMO on preventing and suppressing piracy and armed robbery at sea; and urges States, in collaboration with the shipping and insurance industries and the IMO, to continue to develop and implement avoidance, evasion, and defensive best practices and advisories to take when under attack or when sailing in the waters off the coast of Somalia, and further urges States to make their citizens and vessels available for forensic investigation as appropriate at the first suitable port of call immediately following an act or attempted act of piracy or armed robbery at sea or release from captivity;

“29. Encourages flag States and port States to further consider the development of safety and security measures on board vessels, including, where applicable, developing regulations for the use of PCASP on board ships, aimed at preventing and suppressing piracy off the coast of Somalia, through a consultative process, including through the IMO and ISO;

“30. Invites the IMO to continue its contributions to the prevention and suppression of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships, in coordination, in particular, with the UNODC, the World Food Program (WFP), the shipping industry, and all other parties concerned, and recognizes the IMO’s role concerning privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships in high-risk areas;

“31. Notes the importance of securing the safe delivery of WFP assistance by sea, and welcomes the ongoing work by the WFP, EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta, and flag States with regard to Vessel Protection Detachments on WFP vessels;

“32. Requests States and regional organizations cooperating with Somali authorities to inform the Security Council and the Secretary-General in nine months of the progress of actions undertaken in the exercise of the authorizations provided in paragraph 14 above and further requests all States contributing through the CGPCS to the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia, including Somalia and other States in the region, to report by the same deadline on their efforts to establish jurisdiction and cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of piracy;

“33. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council within twelve months of the adoption of this resolution on the implementation of this resolution and on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;

“34. Expresses its intention to review the situation and consider, as appropriate, renewing the authorizations provided in paragraph 14 above for additional periods upon the request of Somali authority;

In 2016, the Government of Ethiopia made nine pledges to improve the lives of refugees and host communities. Soon thereafter it rolled out the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) of the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants, and became one the first countries to receive multiyear, concessional financing from the World Bank’s 18th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA18) sub-window for refugee-hosting nations. Together, these commitments, framework and financing hold the promise of significantly improving the lives of refugees and their host communities across the country.

New policies and programs are underway. The Government is revising its Refugee Proclamation and is expected to expand its policies that will enable more refugees to move freely from camps and access education and jobs. New livelihoods and education projects, supported by the World Bank and UK’s Department for International Development, are being designed to support refugees and host communities. Although still early in his tenure, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali appears reform-minded and could be a champion of these approaches to the protracted refugee situation.

While progress is being made, there are a number of concerns that, if not addressed, run the risk of hampering impact. The Bank’s working groups for sub-window financed projects are distinct from CRRF working groups, and both appear to have consultative processes that often leave key constituencies, such as refugees, local governments and regional bodies, out of decision-making regarding policies and program design. The World Bank’s earliest investments are weighted towards solutions like industrial parks that do not adequately address refugees’ barriers to decent work and are unlikely to generate enough jobs in the medium term. And the government has not yet passed the Refugee Proclamation—key to ensuring refugees can access their rights, and critical for Bank programs to begin in earnest.

This case study seeks to determine what impact the CRRF and development financing are having—and are likely to have moving forward. Based on these observations, this case study offers recommendations for the Government of Ethiopia, the World Bank, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Ethiopia’s Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), NGOs and other stakeholders. It calls on the Government to swiftly pass the Refugee Proclamation, allowing refugees to move more freely, and access schools and formal jobs. It recommends the World Bank, UNHCR and ARRA streamline their multistakeholder engagement process to ensure key actors, such as different levels of government, regional bodies, refugees, and NGOs can contribute to decision-making processes; and to ensure projects adequately reflect the evidence base, for instance on refugee and host community livelihood skills and needs.

Uganda, in many ways, is ground zero for new global initiatives to address large-scale, protracted displacement. It has hosted refugees from neighboring countries for decades, and today hosts the largest refugee population in Africa.

At the 2016 Leaders’ Summit on Refugees and Migrants, Uganda doubled down on its progressive refugee policies, which allow refugees to work, go to school and access land. It opted to be the first country to pilot the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework of the New York Declaration. And it is among the first countries to receive financing through a new sub-window of the World Bank’s 18th replenishment of its International Development Association (IDA18), created to provide additional concessional financing to low-income countries hosting large numbers of refugees. Together, these commitments, framework and financing offer immense potential to meaningfully improve the lives of refugees and Ugandan host communities.

All eyes are on Uganda as an early adopter of these new tools and funding. How will World Bank-funded projects be balanced with existing humanitarian interventions for refugees—which are extensive in Uganda? How will the Bank interact with the complex set of actors, including the government, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), non-governmental actors (NGOs), civil society, and refugees themselves? Will the Bank adapt its projects or move forward with business as usual in these unique contexts? Will the Bank’s initiatives encourage other donors to provide multiyear financing and support long-term solutions for refugees and host communities?

This case study starts to answer these questions by examining Uganda’s recent policy approaches and initiatives that respond to refugee and host populations. Although it is still early days, observations so far suggest mixed results. The Government’s willingness to engage with these new platforms and maintain its progressive refugee policies, especially in the face of global actors retreating from their share in the responsibility for responding to refugee crises, is impressive and important.

However, early concerns about implementation have been, in some instances, validated. While the World Bank’s financing and CRRF are “pulling in the same direction”, there are no formal agreed on outcomes and no formal linkages between the funding and the framework. The process for making decisions about policies and programs have seemingly marginalizes NGOs and refugees themselves, even though there are new structures meant to give them a voice. And most Bank-funded projects in the pipeline piggyback on existing Bank programs, bringing refugees into projects that were already in train; it is unclear to what extent these projects will adapt to reflect refugees’ experiences.

Based on these observations, this case study offers recommendations for the Government of Uganda, donors like the World Bank, UNHCR and other stakeholders. It calls on the Government to foster better coordination and collaboration between different levels of government and to lead on simplifying and aligning decision-making processes for the CRRF implementation and World Bank financing. It recommends the World Bank and UNHCR develop more deliberate consultative process to include a broader range of actors; help bring other development actors to the table; and to work with partners to identify a clear set of outcomes they want to achieve with the new financing and frameworks. It suggests NGOs more proactively engage with the World Bank to share their expertise and help shape program and policy decisions based on their years of working with refugees.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) condemns the obstruction and attack on a convoy of UN vehicles that occurred along the road between the cities of Galkayo and Adaado in Galmudug state on Saturday, 3 November.

The convoy was accompanied by a dozen police officers from South Galkayo in the late afternoon of Saturday when it was stopped some five kilometres outside Adaado at a checkpoint manned by eight men claiming to be police officers. None of the individuals wore police uniforms, but they refused to grant passage to the convoy that was carrying a team of UN personnel assigned to make preparations for an upcoming visit to Dhusamarreb by UN officials.

After the UN officials decided to abort the mission and head back to Galkayo, a truck carrying militiamen drove through the checkpoint and opened fire on the UN convoy. None of the members of the convoy was injured nor were any of the UN vehicles damaged in the shooting incident.

“Last week’s attack on a UN convoy is unacceptable, and we call on the authorities in Galmudug state and the Federal Government to hold accountable those militiamen who opened fire on our colleagues. Such an attack has not happened to the UN in Somalia for a very long time.” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Haysom. “United Nations personnel must be granted free passage throughout Somalia at all times. They must be able to implement the mandates of UNSOM and UN agencies, funds and programmes without running the risk of being fired upon for no justifiable reason.”

Nairobi – Eight countries in the East and Horn of Africa have committed to the establishment of “inter-agency cross-border technical working groups” that would facilitate the implementation of 22 identified good practices meant to boost cooperation and improve the efficiency of border operations.

The region’s borders are some of the busiest, as they cut across key migration routes focused on the movement of people within the region and to other major destinations, including Europe and the Gulf countries. Disparate national priorities among adjourning countries do not always make cooperation possible. But this could soon be thing of the past, as border authority managers from neighbouring states – some meeting for the first time – established a new rapport and struck significant operational agreements.

This followed a first-of-its-kind workshop organized by the UN migration agency IOM in late October that brought together directors general of immigration and senior immigration and border management officers from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.

The workshop took place under the aegis of the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme - a regional, multi-year and multi-partner programme funded by the EU Trust Fund for Africa and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), coordinated by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Bilateral and trilateral meetings between and among representatives of all the eight countries represented produced significant results for implementation. The highlights of these IOM-facilitated meetings, include:

First time agreement between Ethiopia and South Sudan to conduct joint, cross border patrols; and to work together to open new border crossings points between the two countries.
Sudan and South Sudan agreed to work together to open four border crossing points, including One Stop Border Posts.
Uganda and South Sudan agreed to implement joint, cross border patrols, and to establish “Integrated Border Management Committees”.
Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia agreed to implement Integrated Border Management Committees; and Joint Interagency, Cross- Border Patrols.
Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania agreed to increased cooperation and implement “Good Practices” on Counter-Trafficking efforts; implement Joint Interagency Cross- Border Patrols.

The eight countries requested IOM to support a follow-up meeting to buttress the establishment of the proposed interagency, cross-border, technical working Groups. IOM is currently developing action plans to respond to stakeholder requests which will be funded through BMM and will be completed by June 30, 2019.

Keynote speaker at the workshop, Kenya Principal Secretary for Immigration and Registration of Persons, Rtd Maj-Gen Gordon Kihalangwa, said: “With increasing complexity of migration flows, countries in the East and Horn of Africa region should enhance cross-border cooperation in order to effectively deal with existing challenges in border management which include; trafficking of persons and smuggling of migrants among other forms of transnational organized crime”.

Julia Hartlieb, the BMM Senior Regional Programme Coordinator, said: “The Better Migration Management Programme has recorded key milestones in providing support to countries through the National Coordination Mechanisms for Migration, the provision of equipment and MIDAS border equipment, training, benchmarking visits to operationalization of e-visa and e-immigration systems.

Contrary to earlier forecasts, Deyr seasonal rainfall is now expected to be below-average despite the development of a weak El Niño. Overall, favorable soil moisture is anticipated to prevent large declines in Deyr crop production and rangeland resources, and current outcomes are likely to be sustained in most livelihood zones through May 2019. In Addun Pastoral, Coastal Deeh Pastoral and Fishing, and northeastern NIP livelihood zones, however, deterioration in pasture and water resources is likely to lead to Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes during the 2019 pastoral lean season.

In the absence of food assistance, deterioration to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) in Guban Pastoral livelihood zone and to Crisis (IPC Phase 3) in northwestern NIP livelihood zone is likely. Herd sizes remain significantly below baseline in these zones and poor households have few saleable animals to purchase food. Significant improvements will not occur until after the next cohort of births in May. Other areas of greatest concern include IDP settlements, which will sustain Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4).

The Deyr 2018 rainy season continued to spread in space across the country with poor performance during the month of October. Some parts are yet to record any significant rains since the season begun.
The rainfall forecast in Map 1 for the next three days is calling for light or no rains in the country. The rains are expected to increase towards the end of the week to moderate levels of up to 40mm in the southern regions, west of Somaliland and the Ethiopian highlands. Most of central regions, Puntland and East of Somaliland will remain dry during the week. This calls for concern and close monitoring of the situation especially in Puntland which is already experiencing moisture stress due to the suppressed rains.
Users are advised that this is a forecast and at times there may be discrepancies between forecast and actual amounts of rainfall received. The forecast, observed river levels and rainfall amounts are updated on a daily basis and can be found on this link: http://frrims.faoswalim.org

Thanks to the above-average 2018 Gu rains (April to June) and a sustained humanitarian response, harvests across the country were the best in nearly a decade. The number of food insecure people dropped from 6.7 million at the peak of the crisis in 2017 to 4.6 million by September this year. According to the FAO-led Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM), rainfall in October 2018 has been below average across most parts of Somalia. Rainfall performance in November and December will determine the impact of the Deyr season on food production. While there are considerable improvements in food security, the long-term impact of the 2017 drought on livelihoods has been substantial and will take several consecutive good rainy seasons for the affected communities to recover.

An upsurge in insecurity and conflict has triggered a new wave of displacement in the Lower Shabelle region of South West State. According to UNHCR-led Protection and Return Monitoring Network (PRMN), more than 34,000 people have fled the area since the beginning of August, joining thousands of others who fled earlier in 2018 or before due to conflict, drought and floods, in which the majority are women and children.

Ethiopia hosts 905,831 refugees and asylum seekers within its borders, including the 36,185 who arrived since the start of 2018.

The Government of Ethiopia has committed to address the concerns of refugees, including a pledge to grant local integration to those who have lived in the country for 20 years and above.

Resettlement remains the chief durable solution for refugees in Ethiopia, but limited quotas mean that only 3,240 refugees will be referred to resettlement countries in 2018.

HIGHLIGHTS

UNHCR supports the Government of Ethiopia in discharging its international obligations, fulfilling the
organization’s core objectives to provide refugees and other persons of concern with international
protection, and to seek durable solutions for them. The three traditional durable solutions are
complementary and are pursued together:

Voluntary repatriation, in which refugees return in safety and with dignity to their countries of
origin and re-avail themselves of national protection;

Resettlement, in which refugees are selected and transferred from the country of refuge to a third
state which has agreed to admit them as refugees with permanent residence status; and

Local integration, in which refugees legally, economically and socially integrate in the host
country, availing themselves of the national protection of the host government.

UNHCR and partners support livelihoods programmes for refugees in order to reduce vulnerability and dependency on humanitarian assistance. Refugees who actively support themselves are better
equipped to take on the challenges of any of the durable solutions. UNHCR recognizes the stress that
the presence of refugees can place on already-impoverished host communities and works closely with
development actors and regional governments to mitigate the impact. UNHCR advocates for
complementarity of services for refugees and host communities, and seeks to ensure that refugees are
included in their intervention and development plans, thereby promoting peaceful co-existence.

UNHCR Ethiopia is committed to assisting refugees in accessing complementary legal pathways
including family reunification and other humanitarian migration programmes, such as private
sponsorship, study and employment possibilities. UNHCR Ethiopia continues to issue refugees with
proof of registration documents and provides advice on how to process family reunification cases.
Specifically, UNHCR directly assists unregistered refugee children in accessing the services and
documentation necessary to reunite with their family members abroad. UNHCR Ethiopia is also
involved in the issuance of Convention Travel Documents (CTDs), which permits refugees to undertake international travel for employment, education and to seek medical treatment unavailable in Ethiopia.

The innovative Italian Humanitarian Corridor program was officially launched in 2017 and aims to
relocate 500 refugees to Italy. UNHCR has undertaken this project with two faith-based organizations,
Caritas Italiana and Sant’Egidio Community, through which refugees with family links in Italy as well as
those with protection and medical vulnerabilities are able to find a durable solution. To date, 327
refugees have departed for new lives in Italy.

By the end of September 2018, there were a total of 22,885 refugees in the capital Addis Ababa, mainly from Eritrea, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and refugees of other nationalities, including those from the Great Lakes region.

Of the total population, 868 are children, who either arrived alone (377 children) or were separated from their parents or relatives during flight (491 children).

Of the urban refugee population, 18,122 (79%) are Eritrean refugees. Of these, 17,217 are beneficiaries of the Government’s Out-Of-Camp Policy.

UNHCR provides reception services at the Urban Refugee Reception Centre, located around what is popularly known as the Hayahulet Mazoriya in Addis Ababa. In addition to registration and documentation services, individual protection and resettlement counselling are available at the center from Monday to Thursday every week, between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm.

UNHCR undertook its yearly participatory assessment with refugees living in Addis Ababa in August 2018.The findings will assist the UN Refugee Agency to better understand the situation of refugees and will inform the planned programmatic and service delivery activities.

Coordination of protection programs targeting refugees in Addis Ababa is done through the monthly Urban and Kenya Borena Sub-Working Group meetings, that are held every 1st Wednesday of the month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the UNHCR office in Bole. The forum brings together the government refugee agency (ARRA), UNHCR and all the partners working with refugees in Addis Ababa in order to ensure coordinated response in service delivery and efficient use of resources in line with UNHCR protection priorities.

Country: Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Sweden, United States of America

Out of 905,831 registered refugees in Ethiopia, 65,750 are in need of resettlement in 2018.

UNHCR Ethiopia’s resettlement submissions target for 2018 was 4,240 individuals to the USA, New Zealand, Sweden and Canada, which was revised downwards to 3,240 individuals.

To date, 2,136 refugees were referred to the RSC for onward submission to resettlement countries, 1,907 refugees have been submitted and 608 have departed.

HIGHLIGHTS

Resettlement is an invaluable protection tool for UNHCR Ethiopia as it addresses the specific
needs of refugees who are vulnerable due to their experiences in their country of origin and/or
whose safety, health or other fundamental rights are at risk in Ethiopia, by providing them an
opportunity to rebuild their lives in a new country.

Resettlement remains the primary durable solution available to refugees in Ethiopia due to the
continued instability in neighboring countries rendering voluntary repatriation untenable.
Opportunities for local integration remain limited although the future looks bright in this regard
with Ethiopia as a focus country for the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).

Resettlement as a durable solution is available only to those refugees who meet very precise
criteria. Although over 65,000 refugees in Ethiopia satisfy these criteria, the primary constraint
on resettlement abroad is the quota provided by countries of resettlement, which is far too low
to meet current need.

As resettlement numbers are dictated by quota and not need, resettlement is not a right that can
be claimed by refugees.

UNHCR Ethiopia identifies and addresses the needs of the vulnerable within all refugee
populations hosted in the country, including those with specific needs as well as those in
protracted situations. The main refugee populations resettled abroad from Ethiopia are
Eritreans, Somalis, South Sudanese, Sudanese as well as a few refugees from the Great Lakes.

UNHCR Ethiopia’s resettlement submissions target for 2018 was set at 4,240 refugees, mainly
to the USA, but had to be revised to 3,240. However, UNHCR continued to advocate for
resettlement quota with different countries and has secured submissions to New Zealand,
Sweden and Canada for 2018.

As of September 2018, 2,136 refugees were referred to the Regional Service Centre in Nairobi
for onward submission to resettlement countries and 1,907 refugees have been submitted to
resettlement countries.

In light of the changes that US made in relation to Somalis, UNHCR Ethiopia had to revise the
overall target in September and it was adjusted to 3,240 individuals.

According to the latest available figures from the Turkish Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) there are currently an estimated 3.9 million foreign nationals present in Turkish territory seeking international protection. Most are Syrians (3,567,658* individuals) who are granted temporary protection status, while according to UNHCR 361,693 asylum seekers and refugees from countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, The Islamic Republic of Iran and Somalia constitute another significant group of foreign nationals seeking Turkish humanitarian and legal protection. Like the previous reporting period, since June 2018 the number of Syrians residing in camps has decreased by 36,538

Ten out of the 21 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR) have reported more than 35,727 cholera / AWD cases and 423 deaths (Case Fatality Rate, 1.2%), since the beginning of 2018. These countries include; Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe accounts for 28.2 % (10,086) of the total case load reported this year, followed by Somalia at 17.2% (6,132).

Out of the 10 countries with reported cholera/ AWD outbreaks this year in ESAR, 3 (Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya) have ongoing cholera outbreaks. During the week under review, Zimbabwe reported the highest number of new cases (59 cases). Of the three countries with active transmission, Tanzania has recorded the highest CFR (at 1.9%) in 2018.

Zimbabwe: The weekly case incidence has been on a downward trend in the past 6 weeks (From week 39 to week 44). For instance, during week 44 (week ending 4 November 2018), 59 new cases were reported compared to 199 cases reported in week 43 (week ending 28 October 2018). All new cases emerged from Harare. Cumulatively, a total of 10,086 cases including 61 deaths have been reported in 2018. Majority of these cases (98%, 9,909) and deaths (90%. 55) have been reported since the beginning of the new wave of the outbreak on 5 September 2018.

Tanzania: An increase in the epidemic trend has been noted. During week 43, 43 new cases were reported compared to 28 cases reported in week 42 (week ending 21 October 2018). All new cases emerged from Ngorongoro district in Arusha region. Cumulatively a total of 32,933 cases including 548 deaths have been reported in Tanzania mainland, as from August 2015. Of these, a total of 4,302 (13%) cases and 82 (15%) deaths have been reported since the beginning of 2018.

Kenya: During week 42, 7 new cases were reported from Isiolo County. Last case was reported in Turkana County on 18 September 2018, while Embu County reported 3 cases during week 40. Cumulatively a total of 26,591 cases including 421 deaths have been reported, as from October 2016. Of these, a total of 5,781 (21.7%) cases and 78 (18.5%) deaths have been reported since the beginning of 2018

Animal health emergencies continue to erupt around the world at an ever-increasing pace. Increased global travel, human migration and informal trade of animals and animal products continue to intensify the risk of disease spread. Infectious diseases and other animal health threats have the potential to move rapidly within a country or around the world leading to severe socio-economic and public health consequences. For zoonoses that develop the ability for human to human transmission, an early response to an animal health emergency could prevent the next pandemic. As the demands continue to evolve for effective and efficient management of animal diseases, including emerging diseases and zoonoses, the Emergency Management Centre for Animal Health (EMC-AH) continues to evolve and keep pace with the global demands, adding value to Member States of FAO.

Building on the first eleven years of success, the Centre rebranded its platform in 2018 as EMC-AH, with the full support of the Crisis Management Centre for Animal Health Steering Committee in November 2017. The new name reflects the modernization of the platform and new way of working to better address the needs of the future. Further, the inaugural EMC-AH strategic action plan 2018 2022 released in June 2018 clearly states the vision, mission, and core functions of EMC AH for the coming five years with the aim of reducing the impact of animal health emergencies.

EMC AH’s annual report reflects EMC AH’s new way of working under its strategic action plan and addresses EMC AH performance and actions for the twelve-month period of November 2017-October 2018. During the reporting period, EMC AH contributed to strengthening resilience of livelihoods to animal health-related emergencies and zoonoses through the core pillars of its strategic action plan: preparedness, response, incident coordination, collaboration and resource mobilization. The annual report illustrates EMC-AH’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

FAO’s Member States have an ongoing need for a holistic and sustainable international platform that provides the necessary tools and interventions inclusive of animal health emergency management. EMC-AH strategic action plan requires a substantial commitment of resources to implement the full range of proposed activities, and EMC-AH must maintain key personnel essential to carry out its objectives and components of the 2016-2019 FAO Strategic Framework that addresses increased resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises (Strategic Programme five [SP5]).

As a joint platform of FAO’s Animal Health Service and Emergency Response and Resilience Team, and in close collaboration with related partners and networks, EMC-AH is appropriately positioned to provide renewed leadership, coordination and action for global animal health emergencies.

Former US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson has warned of an "economic iron curtain" dividing the world if the US and China fail to resolve their burgeoning strategic differences.

Speaking from the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, the 74th secretary of the US Treasury said the world is "arriving at a moment of change, challenge, and potentially even crisis."

Referring to the "unprecedented political pressure on cross-national supply chains" and "great power competition surges" across the Indo-Pacific, Paulson warned of a once-healthy strategic competition tipping into "a full-blown cold war."

Former US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson has told a forum in Singapore that if the US — consciously or otherwise — goes ahead and decouples from China, then it will likely isolate itself from the region and trigger a "full-blown" cold war.

Paulson spoke of an "economic iron curtain" cleaving the world into estranged spheres should the US and China fail to get their houses in order and resolve their burgeoning strategic differences.

Speaking from the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, the 74th secretary of the US Treasury said the world is "arriving at a moment of change, challenge, and potentially even crisis."

Referring to the "unprecedented political pressure on cross-national supply chains" and "great power competition surges" across the Indo-Pacific, Paulson warned of a once-healthy strategic competition tipping into a "full-blown cold war" that could bring down the entire international system.

"As Treasury Secretary, I presided over the US response to the 2008 financial crisis, so I know a little something about systemic risk. And I simply cannot see how the international system can endure when the two countries that comprise some 40% of global GDP and over 50% of global growth are working at cross-purposes, attempting to de-integrate their two economies, and contesting the foundations of a rules-based order at every turn," Paulson said.

Sino-US ties have been getting icy over for some time now, with the headline-topping body-blows of a months-old trade war, just the tip of an iceberg weighed down by a shopping list of unresolved economic issues, from trade deficits to trademarks.

China's President Xi Jinping (习近平) took the latest potshots in an increasingly acrimonious relationship when on Monday he lambasted President Donald Trump's calling card "America First" policies.

Speaking from Hangzhou (杭州) where the Communist Party boss relished the chance to champion global free trade, Xi mocked the US administration's aggressive "beggar-thy-neighbor" (yi lin wei he 以邻为壑) approach to cross-border trade.

We need to talk ...

Wilting ties aside, Paulson said the US is in danger of falling victim to its own rhetoric on China's misdeeds.

A growing majority at home now see China not just as a strategic challenge to US interests but as a country whose rise has come pretty much at America's expense.

With this snowballing fear in the US that China has been using underhanded policies and sneaky strategies to build — most especially — an arsenal of indigenous high technologies, Paulson warned that the cold shoulder would not work in containing China.

"Some in the United States now advocate a Cold War-style technology denial regime," Paulson said. "No country, in my view, will 'divorce' a major nation that remains, even amid a slowdown, among the world’s fastest growing major economies."

He said China's habitual stealing of technology, its obligatory forced technology transfers for joint ventures and its totalitarian approach to internet governance and cross-border data flows were naturally raising serious alarm, but cautioned that both nations are now simply too tightly connected to just start cutting cords.

"Innovation and technology cannot be separated from business competitiveness."

"So, such a Balkanization of technology could further harm global innovation, not to mention the competitiveness of firms around the world."

Seemingly addressing the administration itself, Paulson warned that in its effort to isolate China, the US now "risks isolating itself."

Calling the US-China strategic interaction easily the most consequential of all, Paulson said its failure could put at risk "the very functioning" of the global system. "I am very sobered by the trajectory we are on now."

On China's great iron curtain

The path to avoiding an "economic iron curtain" descending across the Indo-Pacific would begin with China's embrace of basic economic reforms that would continue to open up its markets in the same way as its global competitors and partners.

At the same time the former secretary said the US kind of needed to grow up, tone it down and trust a bit more in its own values.

"Dial down the rhetoric," he said

"Strategic competition is a fact. We have compelling differences of national interest between our two countries. And we clearly have clashing security concepts, not least in the South China Sea."

Paulson also lamented the president's slash-and-burn attitude to multilateral institutions and especially his decision to nix the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

"To be blunt about this, I wish President Trump would reconsider his decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. A TPP 2.0 would offer a ready-made vehicle to shape the trade environment in which Beijing operates," Paulson said.

But for all its fireworks and fury, Paulson insisted China does not pose an "existential threat" to American civilization.

"We should prepare for the obvious strategic challenges from China. But in doing so, let’s not sacrifice those values — or the commitment to openness — that has made us the strongest, most competitive, and most admired country in the world."

"In the 242nd year of our great democratic experiment, we should have more confidence in America and the resilience of our system."

The 'D' word

All couples face change, and the message out of Singapore was for China and the US to get over their differences and find a way forward, because there are no winners in a divorce.

"Frankly, deintegration is inevitable, and even necessary, in some areas — not least to protect our national security. But it is decidedly not in America’s interest to attempt this across the board."

And divorce doesn't really work well for global business.

"At this point, after 40 years, when we have had one kind of relationship but now, quite clearly, face the daunting task of transitioning to a new one – anchored in a realistic and more sustainable – strategic framework – divorce is a real risk.

"If China doesn’t move quickly, I suspect the calls for divorce will intensify. And it pains me to say that."

Former US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson has warned of an "economic iron curtain" dividing the world if the US and China fail to resolve their burgeoning strategic differences.

Speaking from the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, the 74th secretary of the US Treasury said the world is "arriving at a moment of change, challenge, and potentially even crisis."

Referring to the "unprecedented political pressure on cross-national supply chains" and "great power competition surges" across the Indo-Pacific, Paulson warned of a once-healthy strategic competition tipping into "a full-blown cold war."

Former US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson has told a forum in Singapore that if the US — consciously or otherwise — goes ahead and decouples from China, then it will likely isolate itself from the region and trigger a "full-blown" cold war.

Paulson spoke of an "economic iron curtain" cleaving the world into estranged spheres should the US and China fail to get their houses in order and resolve their burgeoning strategic differences.

Speaking from the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, the 74th secretary of the US Treasury said the world is "arriving at a moment of change, challenge, and potentially even crisis."

Referring to the "unprecedented political pressure on cross-national supply chains" and "great power competition surges" across the Indo-Pacific, Paulson warned of a once-healthy strategic competition tipping into a "full-blown cold war" that could bring down the entire international system.

"As Treasury Secretary, I presided over the US response to the 2008 financial crisis, so I know a little something about systemic risk. And I simply cannot see how the international system can endure when the two countries that comprise some 40% of global GDP and over 50% of global growth are working at cross-purposes, attempting to de-integrate their two economies, and contesting the foundations of a rules-based order at every turn," Paulson said.

Sino-US ties have been getting icy over for some time now, with the headline-topping body-blows of a months-old trade war, just the tip of an iceberg weighed down by a shopping list of unresolved economic issues, from trade deficits to trademarks.

China's President Xi Jinping (习近平) took the latest potshots in an increasingly acrimonious relationship when on Monday he lambasted President Donald Trump's calling card "America First" policies.

Speaking from Hangzhou (杭州) where the Communist Party boss relished the chance to champion global free trade, Xi mocked the US administration's aggressive "beggar-thy-neighbor" (yi lin wei he 以邻为壑) approach to cross-border trade.

We need to talk ...

Wilting ties aside, Paulson said the US is in danger of falling victim to its own rhetoric on China's misdeeds.

A growing majority at home now see China not just as a strategic challenge to US interests but as a country whose rise has come pretty much at America's expense.

With this snowballing fear in the US that China has been using underhanded policies and sneaky strategies to build — most especially — an arsenal of indigenous high technologies, Paulson warned that the cold shoulder would not work in containing China.

"Some in the United States now advocate a Cold War-style technology denial regime," Paulson said. "No country, in my view, will 'divorce' a major nation that remains, even amid a slowdown, among the world’s fastest growing major economies."

He said China's habitual stealing of technology, its obligatory forced technology transfers for joint ventures and its totalitarian approach to internet governance and cross-border data flows were naturally raising serious alarm, but cautioned that both nations are now simply too tightly connected to just start cutting cords.

"Innovation and technology cannot be separated from business competitiveness."

"So, such a Balkanization of technology could further harm global innovation, not to mention the competitiveness of firms around the world."

Seemingly addressing the administration itself, Paulson warned that in its effort to isolate China, the US now "risks isolating itself."

Calling the US-China strategic interaction easily the most consequential of all, Paulson said its failure could put at risk "the very functioning" of the global system. "I am very sobered by the trajectory we are on now."

On China's great iron curtain

The path to avoiding an "economic iron curtain" descending across the Indo-Pacific would begin with China's embrace of basic economic reforms that would continue to open up its markets in the same way as its global competitors and partners.

At the same time the former secretary said the US kind of needed to grow up, tone it down and trust a bit more in its own values.

"Dial down the rhetoric," he said

"Strategic competition is a fact. We have compelling differences of national interest between our two countries. And we clearly have clashing security concepts, not least in the South China Sea."

Paulson also lamented the president's slash-and-burn attitude to multilateral institutions and especially his decision to nix the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

"To be blunt about this, I wish President Trump would reconsider his decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. A TPP 2.0 would offer a ready-made vehicle to shape the trade environment in which Beijing operates," Paulson said.

But for all its fireworks and fury, Paulson insisted China does not pose an "existential threat" to American civilization.

"We should prepare for the obvious strategic challenges from China. But in doing so, let’s not sacrifice those values — or the commitment to openness — that has made us the strongest, most competitive, and most admired country in the world."

"In the 242nd year of our great democratic experiment, we should have more confidence in America and the resilience of our system."

The 'D' word

All couples face change, and the message out of Singapore was for China and the US to get over their differences and find a way forward, because there are no winners in a divorce.

"Frankly, deintegration is inevitable, and even necessary, in some areas — not least to protect our national security. But it is decidedly not in America’s interest to attempt this across the board."

And divorce doesn't really work well for global business.

"At this point, after 40 years, when we have had one kind of relationship but now, quite clearly, face the daunting task of transitioning to a new one – anchored in a realistic and more sustainable – strategic framework – divorce is a real risk.

"If China doesn’t move quickly, I suspect the calls for divorce will intensify. And it pains me to say that."

Democrats Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and Ilhan Omar in Minnesota both won their races for House seats on Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress.

Omar will fill the seat of Rep. Keith Ellison (D), who was the first Muslim person elected to the body and left his seat to run for state attorney general.

After both facing crowded primary races, the progressive candidates were all but guaranteed to win in the general election, with Tlaib facing no Republican challengers in Michigan’s 13th District, and Omar the favorite to prevail in Minnesota’s solidly Democratic 5th District.

“I stand here before you tonight as your congresswoman-elect with many firsts behind my name,” Omar said in her victory speech, to loud cheers and applause. “The first woman of color to represent our state in Congress, the first woman to wear a hijab, the first refugee ever elected to Congress and one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress.”

“Here in Minnesota we don’t only welcome immigrants,” she added, “we send them to Washington.”

Congress member-elect Ilhan Omar’s first words upon taking the stage: asalamu alaikum. The next words: al hamdulillah. “My grandfather taught me that when you see injustice, you fight back. You do not give in to sorrow, you do not give in to sadness. You organize.” pic.twitter.com/vyuYOKeC0r

Tlaib and Omar are also part ofa wave of progressive Democrats headed to Congress, seeking to push the party establishment further left and supporting policies like Medicare for All and a $15 minimum wage.

Tlaib also became the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress on Tuesday. The Detroit-born mother of two first made history in 2008 as the first Muslim woman in the Michigan legislature.

“I’m going to be a voice for them,” the 42-year-old daughter of Palestinian immigrants told HuffPost in August, speaking of Palestinians. “I look forward to being able to humanize so many of them that have felt ‘less than’ for so long.”

Voters in Minnesota and Michigan on Tuesday elected the first two Muslim women to serve in the U.S. Congress, a former refugee who fled Somalia's civil war and a Detroit-born Palestinian-American. The victories by the two Democrats -- Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib -- came on an election night when members of multiple minority groups had a chance to score electoral firsts. In Minnesota, Omar, about 36 and a naturalized American citizen and state representative, follows another trailblazer: She will succeed U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison, who in 2006 became the first Muslim elected to Congress and is stepping down to run for state attorney general.

Eritrea’s president, Isaias Afwerki has paid tribute to the ‘steadfastness and resilience’ of his people, saying they have emerged triumphant against decades-old tribulation that few other people could have withstood.

Afwerki was addressing an interview broadcast live on state television and radio, as he sought to update the nation on the significance of regional developments like the peace deal with Ethiopia.

‘’(It) represents a new, fourth, epoch where external subterfuges of controlling the region have been vanquished through resilience of the Eritrean people,political dynamics in Ethiopia & global developments.”

Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace deal in July this year, ending two decades of hostilities over a border dispute.

Last week, it also emerged that sanctions imposed on Eritrea in 2009, are set to be lifted.

Afwerki said Eritrea will consolidate the new regional developments that have included normalisation of relations with Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti.

‘‘The new reality will have its own contribution to the shared visions of cultivation of solid cooperation in the wider Horn of Africa, the Nile Basin and the Arabian Gulf that is endowed with substantial resources, huge populations and considerable human capital,’‘ said Afwerki.

Time for reforms?

The president is expected to address the impact of the regional developments on the internal politics of the country.

Eritrea, for a long time imposed stringent measures including compulsory and indefine national conscription and repression of dissenting views, in the name of protecting the nation against an aggressive and powerful enemy, Ethiopia.

With the peace deal reached with Ethiopia, many human rights advocates have called upon Eritrea to reform. READ MORE: Eritrea pledges to address human rights challenges

Former US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson has warned of an "economic iron curtain" dividing the world if the US and China fail to resolve their burgeoning strategic differences.

Speaking from the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, the 74th secretary of the US Treasury said the world is "arriving at a moment of change, challenge, and potentially even crisis."

Referring to the "unprecedented political pressure on cross-national supply chains" and "great power competition surges" across the Indo-Pacific, Paulson warned of a once-healthy strategic competition tipping into "a full-blown cold war."

Former US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson has told a forum in Singapore that if the US — consciously or otherwise — goes ahead and decouples from China, then it will likely isolate itself from the region and trigger a "full-blown" cold war.

Paulson spoke of an "economic iron curtain" cleaving the world into estranged spheres should the US and China fail to get their houses in order and resolve their burgeoning strategic differences.

Speaking from the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, the 74th secretary of the US Treasury said the world is "arriving at a moment of change, challenge, and potentially even crisis."

Referring to the "unprecedented political pressure on cross-national supply chains" and "great power competition surges" across the Indo-Pacific, Paulson warned of a once-healthy strategic competition tipping into a "full-blown cold war" that could bring down the entire international system.

"As Treasury Secretary, I presided over the US response to the 2008 financial crisis, so I know a little something about systemic risk. And I simply cannot see how the international system can endure when the two countries that comprise some 40% of global GDP and over 50% of global growth are working at cross-purposes, attempting to de-integrate their two economies, and contesting the foundations of a rules-based order at every turn," Paulson said.

Sino-US ties have been getting icy over for some time now, with the headline-topping body-blows of a months-old trade war, just the tip of an iceberg weighed down by a shopping list of unresolved economic issues, from trade deficits to trademarks.

China's President Xi Jinping (习近平) took the latest potshots in an increasingly acrimonious relationship when on Monday he lambasted President Donald Trump's calling card "America First" policies.

Speaking from Hangzhou (杭州) where the Communist Party boss relished the chance to champion global free trade, Xi mocked the US administration's aggressive "beggar-thy-neighbor" (yi lin wei he 以邻为壑) approach to cross-border trade.

We need to talk ...

Wilting ties aside, Paulson said the US is in danger of falling victim to its own rhetoric on China's misdeeds.

A growing majority at home now see China not just as a strategic challenge to US interests but as a country whose rise has come pretty much at America's expense.

With this snowballing fear in the US that China has been using underhanded policies and sneaky strategies to build — most especially — an arsenal of indigenous high technologies, Paulson warned that the cold shoulder would not work in containing China.

"Some in the United States now advocate a Cold War-style technology denial regime," Paulson said. "No country, in my view, will 'divorce' a major nation that remains, even amid a slowdown, among the world’s fastest growing major economies."

He said China's habitual stealing of technology, its obligatory forced technology transfers for joint ventures and its totalitarian approach to internet governance and cross-border data flows were naturally raising serious alarm, but cautioned that both nations are now simply too tightly connected to just start cutting cords.

"Innovation and technology cannot be separated from business competitiveness."

"So, such a Balkanization of technology could further harm global innovation, not to mention the competitiveness of firms around the world."

Seemingly addressing the administration itself, Paulson warned that in its effort to isolate China, the US now "risks isolating itself."

Calling the US-China strategic interaction easily the most consequential of all, Paulson said its failure could put at risk "the very functioning" of the global system. "I am very sobered by the trajectory we are on now."

On China's great iron curtain

The path to avoiding an "economic iron curtain" descending across the Indo-Pacific would begin with China's embrace of basic economic reforms that would continue to open up its markets in the same way as its global competitors and partners.

At the same time the former secretary said the US kind of needed to grow up, tone it down and trust a bit more in its own values.

"Dial down the rhetoric," he said

"Strategic competition is a fact. We have compelling differences of national interest between our two countries. And we clearly have clashing security concepts, not least in the South China Sea."

Paulson also lamented the president's slash-and-burn attitude to multilateral institutions and especially his decision to nix the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

"To be blunt about this, I wish President Trump would reconsider his decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. A TPP 2.0 would offer a ready-made vehicle to shape the trade environment in which Beijing operates," Paulson said.

But for all its fireworks and fury, Paulson insisted China does not pose an "existential threat" to American civilization.

"We should prepare for the obvious strategic challenges from China. But in doing so, let’s not sacrifice those values — or the commitment to openness — that has made us the strongest, most competitive, and most admired country in the world."

"In the 242nd year of our great democratic experiment, we should have more confidence in America and the resilience of our system."

The 'D' word

All couples face change, and the message out of Singapore was for China and the US to get over their differences and find a way forward, because there are no winners in a divorce.

"Frankly, deintegration is inevitable, and even necessary, in some areas — not least to protect our national security. But it is decidedly not in America’s interest to attempt this across the board."

And divorce doesn't really work well for global business.

"At this point, after 40 years, when we have had one kind of relationship but now, quite clearly, face the daunting task of transitioning to a new one – anchored in a realistic and more sustainable – strategic framework – divorce is a real risk.

"If China doesn’t move quickly, I suspect the calls for divorce will intensify. And it pains me to say that."

Most of you will regard this Maggie Haberman story as shameless suckuppery, but I think she's providing an accurate map of Republican voters' pleasure centers:

... Donald Trump Jr. ... has emerged as one of the G.O.P.’s most visible headliners in a challenging midterms climate for the party.

... Visits from President Trump have been a double-edged sword for Republican candidates in certain states, who want his backing but who fear blanket media coverage of his controversial statements.

A guest appearance by Donald Trump Jr. has become the next best thing for several candidates, some of whom he’s campaigned for repeatedly.... He is scheduled to headline six rallies in five states on Monday.

The G.O.P. base, with whom Mr. Trump was a family ambassador when his father campaigned in 2016, is almost as protective of Mr. Trump as they are of his father, seeing him as a looser version whom they can relate to, someone who does not carry himself like a celebrity.

Why? We think it's impossible to be more ignorant, conspiratorial, or polarizing than Donald Trump Sr., but Junior, in a less visible way, is Dad, only more so.

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Obama and an architect of Mr. Obama’s historic win in 2008, described the younger Mr. Trump as “hotheaded and even more unrestrained than his dad when it comes to mixing it up.”

... He focuses heavily on amplifying alternatives to established outlets that appeal to his father’s base of support, including some that traffic in misinformation, scrolling through his Twitter feed repeatedly to look at what is being said.

Junior seems to spend more time marinating in the fever swamps than his father, and more than any other Republican with a national profile. Junior doesn't just rely on a Fox News and a few dozen right-wing Twitter accounts, like Dad -- he goes out of his way to seek out extremely dubious information (and disinformation) sources. And while his father often seems to have fun goading his enemies, Junior doesn't seem to be enjoying himself -- he's in it for the grim triumphalism of (allegedly) owning the libs. He's boiled down the rage to its purest form.

Also, with his new ex-Fox News girlfriend, he must seem, to the deplorables, like a right-wing Kennedy, vigorous and in youthful trim.

You may laugh, but I'm not surprised that Haberman turns to the subject of Junior's possible future in electoral politics:

His fluency in the language of the Republican base, which comes more naturally to him than any other Trump family member besides the president, has prompted constant questions about whether he will run someday.

“People love to hear him. He’s good at his delivery,” said Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican from California, “and he’s got the passion of what he’s fighting for, but he connects with the average person.”

... Jeff Roe, [a] Republican strategist and general consultant for a number of high-profile races this year ... said that Mr. Trump “has to find a place to live, and he has to find a place he’d enjoy, because he has to run for office.”

I wonder if that was a subtext when Ron DeSantis, Florida's Republican gubernatorial candidate, said at a rally last week that he'd like to persuade Junior and his brother Eric to relocate the Trump Organization to Palm Beach County. A state that could elect Rick Scott twice (and that might elect DeSantis) could absolutely embrace Donald Trump Jr. as a politician, despite Andrew Gillum's poll numbers.

As I've said here before, I think Junior absolutely has a political future if he wants one. I realize that you all believe Junior is going to prison. I don't. I don't believe Jared Kushner or anyone named Trump will go to prison as a result of Russiagate investigations. This is America -- we don't send the people in the C-suites to prison. The investigation (and possible future investigations by a Democratic House) might reveal serious wrongdoing by the Trump family, and might lead to an impeachment or (more likely) a weakened president going into 2020. But in America we only send mid-level people to prison -- think Abu Ghraib or Plamegate (not to mention the financial crisis, for which no one went to prison).

I think Junior might be more appealing to Republican voters if the evil Deep State sent him to the hoosegow, but I don't think it will happen.

The only question is whether he wants a political career.

Mr. Trump says he is asked questions about his own future “every day,” but if there’s a specific office he would be drawn to, he didn’t say. His supporters have mentioned possible runs for statewide office, almost certainly in red states where his father performed well.

“Right now, I’m focused on other things, but you never know. I love the intensity of campaigning,” he said. “I love aspects of the fight. I don’t know how much I would love aspects of the actual job yet.”

I don’t know how much he would love aspects of any actual job -- has he ever held one? What does he do for a living? What has he ever done? He might never run for office because he has no interest in work. That would be a lucky break for America.

Americans created history on Tuesday when they elected two Muslim women – Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib – to Congress.

Although Muslim men have been elected to Congress before, Ilhan and Rashida are the first Muslim women to represent Americans in the US House of Representatives.

Ilhan, 37, was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 4, 1981. In 2016, she was elected a Democratic Party member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, making her the first Somali-American legislator elected to a public office in the United States.

A hijab wearing mother of three, Ilhan is married to a Somali-American Ahmed Hirsi. She has a bachelor’s degree in politics from North Dakota State University and has also studied public affairs.

She won the Democratic primary on August 14, 2018 and contested the election on a party ticket.

Ilhan's father, Nur Omar Mohamed, is a teacher trainer. Her mother died when Ilhan was a child and she was raised by her father and grandfather. After the start of the civil war in 1991, she and her family fled Somalia and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya.

In 1995, they emigrated to the United States, initially settling in Arlington, Virginia and then moving to Minneapolis.

Ilhan ran from Minnesota’s 5th district, a deeply Democratic area previously represented by a fellow Muslim, Keith Ellison, who won six terms from here.

She beat Republican Jennifer Zielinski to take Keith Ellison’s seat, which he vacated to run for Minnesota attorney general.

Rashida Tlaib

Technically, Palestinian-American Rashida Harbi Tlaib is the first American Muslim woman to be elected to Congress. Although her election was officially announced on Tuesday, she was elected unopposed as no one came forward to challenge Rashida in another deeply Democratic district.

Rashida, who is associated with a socialist group within the Democratic Party, is also very popular in this constituency.

On January 1, 2009, Rashida became the first Muslim American woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature, and the second Muslim woman in history to be elected to any US state legislature.

In 2018, she won the Democratic nomination for Michigan's 13th congressional district and won unopposed.

She was born on July 24, 1976, to working-class Palestinian immigrants in Detroit and is the eldest of 14 children. Her parents were both born in Palestine.

Rashida played a major role in raising her siblings as her parents worked or relied on welfare are for support.

She graduated from Wayne State University with a BA in political science in 1998 and in 2004, she earned a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

[This is Africa] Today we celebrate Ilhan Omar who has made history becoming first Somali American, and first refugee ever to be elected to Congress. Omar, together with Rashida Tlaib, also become the first Muslim congresswomen.
Reported by allAfrica.com 1 hour ago.

[This is Africa] Today we celebrate Ilhan Omar who has made history becoming first Somali American, and first refugee ever to be elected to Congress. Omar, together with Rashida Tlaib, also become the first Muslim congresswomen.

Authorities in Somalia are investigating the deaths of four civilians reportedly killed by African Union troops Tuesday, after a roadside bomb targeted the peacekeepers’ convoy. The bombing occurred in Mogadishu’s northern Huriwaa district, near Ex-Control Balad Junction, and damaged a water truck. Witnesses tell VOA’s Somali Service that afterward, AU troops looking for the perpetrators […]

With his Minister of Immigration Muslim and from Somalia, already immigrants from Somalia (with their 'wondrous' skills and education to enhance the economy) have tripled.
The fact is, Canadians enthusiastically put "jackass Trudeau" in office and the utterly useless Canadian media fawns over him. Never in Canada do we see hard-biting mocking or disparagement of Trudeau.

During the course of 2014 and 2015, the site has moved domain names a number of times. In November 2014, the site moved to Kickass.so.Mirror Torrent Sites However, the domain was seized by the Somalian registry and the site subsequently hopped to Kickass.im for a 24 hour period.

The LORD G-d—whether the devil realizes it or not—is going to win a major conquest for Israel.And not just win … but defeat Israel's enemies so badly thatthe world will recognize that G-d is the LORD.

ניצחון מן השמים

■WHO ARE NOT ALIGNED AGAINST ISRAEL IN EZEKIEL 38–39 BATTLE

In Ezekiel Chapter 38, there is NO mention of Israel’s neighbors joining in allegiance with the powers from the North. NO mention of:

Lebanon Egypt Saudi Arabia Syria Jordan Iraq Palestinians

The conflict described in Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39 involves the powers from the North.

“Son of man, set your face againstGog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

And say, This is what the Lord G-D says; Behold, I am against you,O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling weaponry:

Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and manypeople with you.”‒ Ezekiel 38:2-6

NOTICE: Magog is a people group, while Gog is a Satanically inspired leader of that people.

Wilhelm Gesenius was a renowned German Biblical critic and pioneer of critical Hebrew lexicography and grammar. Here is his analysis of the “movers and shakers” in this passage.

“Meshech was a barbarous people known as Moschi who dwelt in the Moschian mountains; the root from which the city of Moscow [derived] itsname.”

However,Mushki (MŠK) of central and western Asia Minor, known in the classics (Homer, etc.) as Phrygia, fits very well. These people were well known to Ezekiel, and this may be the easier interpretation

We know that Persia is synonymous with present day Iran.

Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah represent sections of Turkey.

■WHAT IS EZEKIEL SAYING TODAY

Read carefully Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39. Then compare what you have read with the following synopsis. I think you will agree.

Russia, Turkey, Iran and other Middle East and North East African nations will form an alliance to attack Israel.

G-d will defeat this alliance of Magog and others on the hills of Israel, and leave only 17 percent of them.

It will take seven months to bury the dead bodies, and seven years to burn the implements of war (probably radioactive elements).

The victory for Israel will be so great and miraculous that ALL nations will realize that the G-d of Israel is the LORD.

“Thus says the Lord G-D; Are you, Gog, the one of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring you against them?

And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord G-D, that my fury shall come up in my face.

For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be agreat shaking in the land of Israel;

So that the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, says the Lord G-D:every man's weapon shall be against his brother.

And I will plead against him withpestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowingrain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

This is how I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”‒ Ezekiel 38:18-23

■PLAYERS IN ALIGNMENT AGAINST ISRAEL IN EZEKIEL 38–39

Think about this: the players today in alignment against Israel are the same as mentioned in Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39. We know this because of the cognate forms of names used in the original Hebrew. The only difference is … they have NOT attacked yet.

The Triumvirate of Testing for Israel at this moment is: Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Russia cavorts with whomever, always seeking the balance of power: its own. Iran wants to exterminate anyone the Mad Mahdi doesn't approve, which happens to be ALL non-Muslims. And Turkey, is coming out of the closet, in preparation for her role as the headquarters for New World Governance.

RUSSIA

Russia has been attempting to attach its holdings in previous Soviet Bloc countries to prevent NATO encroachment into these areas. It was strategically taking advantage of the recent American president's (Obama) weakness in military experience and foreign policy negotiations.

IRAN

Iran wants to fill the void in the Middle East which resulted from the invasion of Iraq. (This also happens to be a goal of Turkey.) Iran, under the leadership of the Grand Meany and his puppet Barney Fife want to bring destruction and chaos to ALL non-Muslim people and nations.

Iran now has the capability to produce a nuclear weapon. It has warhead capability.

Many of America’s closest Mideast allies,particularly Israel and Saudi Arabia, have warned Washington against concluding a deal with Tehran. When Obama was President of the USA, Arab countries, in particular, worried that the U.S. would forge a closer relationship with Shiite Iran to confront radical Sunni groups, such as Islamic State and al Qaeda.

That was folly, because as Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out in his speech to the USA Congress, “the enemy of your enemy―in this case―is (still) your enemy!”

The MAJOR reason Iran is NOT attacking Israel right now is to give Iran TIME to produce several bombs first. A secondary reason previously was as a major bargaining chip with the USA. Iran knew the recent USA President Obama had NO military background and was without experience in war strategy or military diplomacy. Iran felt the recent USA president was weak and would easily be dissuaded with rhetoric, using his Muslim upbringing as a tool on the chessboard.

If Iran can gain BOTH time and privilege, it will be a bonus toward their efforts. After using the recent USA President, and after gaining hard assets and other desirables earned via diplomacy, Iran was in even a better position to attack Israel. However, President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran deal and placed hard sanctions once again against Iran. If, however, no advantageous benefits are to be realized from the USA, Iran can still attack Israel; all the while having created BOTH a situation of non-apprehension while creating more bombs.

TURKEY

As I mentioned in my podcast, Confidential: Intel for Israel, (12 Feb, 2009), Turkey will be the new headquarters for the New World Governance. In due time it will become obvious that it will in effect be the (clandestine) headquarters of the NIO: New Islamic Order.

As the Global Governance center, Turkey will come into position after breaking away from its previous European and Western associations, and―as the Eastern leg of the old Roman Empire―it will be the epicenter of Islamic geopolitical and financial concourse.

Already, since I provided this information in 2009, we have seen (via Vaadat Orchim) that Turkey is parlaying and weighing her odds for partnership to her greatest advantage: Russia (and the Caucasus), Saudi Arabia, or Iran. Either—or all—of the three, as bedfellows, will still havethe stamp of Islam.

06.00 Bagpipes will be played at more than 2,000 locations across the country and around the world, from New Zealand to Somalia, and spanning every Commonwealth country. Pipers will play Battle’s O’er – a haunting tune traditionally played at the end...

Nairobi, 4 November 2018 - The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has developed a document that will provide an effective framework for the gradual transition of security responsibilities to Somalia’s security institutions.

The Concept of Operations (CONOPs), which will guide AMISOM’s activities and operations for the 2018-2021 period, marks the final phase of the AU Mission’s transition and eventual exit from Somalia.
The action-oriented document, once approved by the African Union and senior defence officials of troops-contributing countries, will mark yet another milestone in the Mission’s quest for a peaceful and democratic Somalia.

Speaking at the closing of the five-day meeting held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Nairobi, 4 November 2018 - The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has developed a document that will provide an effective framework for the gradual transition of security responsibilities to Somalia’s security institutions.

The Concept of Operations (CONOPs), which will guide AMISOM’s activities and operations for the 2018-2021 period, marks the final phase of the AU Mission’s transition and eventual exit from Somalia.
The action-oriented document, once approved by the African Union and senior defence officials of troops-contributing countries, will mark yet another milestone in the Mission’s quest for a peaceful and democratic Somalia.

Speaking at the closing of the five-day meeting held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Francisco Madeira, hailed the document and expressed optimism that it will deliver.
“We want to produce a document that is workable, a document that is in a position capable of producing the expected results and we are very much optimistic that we will do it,” said the SRCC who is also the head of mission.

The Concept of Operations (CONOPS) 2018 workshop looked at the Mission’s Somalia transition plan vis-à-vis the political and security situation in the country, emerging from decades of civil strife.
Participants at the workshop included the Mission’s staff, officials of the Federal Government of Somalia, and representatives of African Union based at the Addis Ababa Headquarters in Ethiopia.
The document is AMISOM’s intent regarding plans and aspirations that will culminate in the scheduled 2021 one-man-one vote elections and consequently the transfer, gradually, of the security responsibilities from the Mission to Somali security forces.

“This is a very important undertaking and endeavour because it marks a crucial step in a very crucial moment we find ourselves in our efforts in Somalia,” Amb Madeira observed, noting that the document is a product of “hard-work and open and frank discussions”.

The workshop, the SRCC noted, looked into the issue of the Mission’s military component and analyzed the way it is working towards delivering a “safe” Somalia to its people.

Resolving the problem in Somalia, the SRCC noted, requires more than just the military approach and AMISOM is towing that line.

“Security is not just a matter of shooting Al-Shabaab but it is also a matter of extending our hands to those elements of Al-Shabaab who for whatever reason had slid into violence and extremism and now are willing to abandon that path,” the SRCC explained.

The SRCC exhorted the Mission’s partners, troop and police contributing countries and all Somalis to “put our hands together” to ensure that peace and security is returned in the country.
Ambassador Madeira thanked Kenya for hosting the meeting.

In his speech the representative of the Government of Kenya at the meeting, Maj Gen Adan Mulata, told the participants that an all-inclusive engagement was key to the Somalia peace effort. This, he noted, requires the stakeholders to understand the dynamics facing Somalia and the change the country deserves.

Gen Mulata, who is the Assistant Chief of Defense Forces in charge of Operations, Doctrine and Training, noted that the document produced at the workshop is intended to place Somalia on a path of recovery.

Once adapted, the CONOPs 2018 “will guide the collective actions of the international community to augment activities of the Federal Government of Somalia towards the achievement of (the country’s) transitional plan.”

As regards the proposed military drawdown, the Kenya military chief said that whereas the exit was inevitable, stakeholders should be cautious, taking into consideration the conditions on the ground. The country has to be left in the hands of people capable of pursuing peace and recovery, he noted.
“Let us talk about meaningful change in Somalia not blame-games and fault-finding,” Maj Gen Mulata said and added that there has to be common objective, collective effort and clarity in order to rebuild Somalia.

The events unfolding in the last few days, including the divisions among the stakeholders, ahead of the upcoming presidential election in Somalia’s South West State, have the potential to lead to violence. The United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) calls on all parties and stakeholders to work together to ensure that this Somali-owned electoral process proceeds in accordance with the established rules and avoids any behaviour which may lead to conflict or undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

“With this election being the first in a series to be held around the country – both at the regional level next year and national level in 2020 – there is a real need to set the precedent for credible and peaceful electoral processes,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Haysom. “I note that Somalia’s international partners had expressed similar hopes and concerns in November 2016 during the country’s federal parliamentary elections, when it called on all stakeholders to collaborate in ensuring a positive outcome.”

“I am confident that, in keeping with their tradition, Somali leaders will find a solution, through dialogue, to the issues surrounding this electoral process. An electoral process that is transparent, enjoys broad consensus on the rules governing its conduct, and is free from irregularities can only promote widespread acceptance of the results, and avoid violent confrontations at or after polling,” added Mr. Haysom, who also serves as UNSOM’s head.

The regional assembly of South West State is due to hold a presidential election on 17 November. Similar votes will take place in the Federal Member States of Puntland and Jubaland in 2019.

I never cease to be amazed at the insouciance of Americans. Readers send me emails asking why I ever supported Trump when he was the Establishment’s candidate. If Trump was the Establishment’s candidate, why has the Establishment spent two years trying to destroy him?The failure to put two and two together is extraordinary. Trump declared war on the Establishment throughout the presidential campaign and in his inaugural address. As I wrote at the time, Trump vastly over-estimates the power of the president. He expected the Establishment, like his employees, to jump to his will, and he did not know Washington or who to appoint to support his goals. He has been totally defeated in his intention to normalize relations with Russia. Instead, we are faced with both Russia and China preparing for war.In other words, the same outcome that Hillary would have achieved.Trump has been so harassed by the Establishment that he is having trouble thinking straight. He was elected by “the deplorables” as the first non-Establishment candidate since when? You have to go back in history to find one. Perhaps Andrew Jackson. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were not the choice of the Democratic and Republican establishments, and the ruling establishments moved quickly to constrain both presidencies. The Democratic Establishment framed and removed both Carter’s budget director and chief of staff, depriving Carter of the kind of commitment he needed for his agenda. The Bush people that the Republican Establishment insisted be put in positions of power in the Reagan administration succeeded in blunting his reformist economic program and his determination to end the cold war. I fought both battles for Reagan, and I still have the bruises. Trump is an outsider elected by “the deplorables” whose middle class jobs were offshored by America’s global corporations for the benefit only of the executives and large shareholders. A few people sold out the American middle class, which is shrinking away. In the rest of the world, Trump’s true allies are the presidents of Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, the former president of Ecuador, and the former president of Honduras, who was overthrown by “America’s First Black President,” the consequences of which are the caravan moving toward the US border. The Establishment has succeeded in so confusing Trump that he has declared the Establishment’s war against the non-establishment leaders in Latin America.So what is this midterm US election about? It is about whether “the deplorables” have been brainwashed by the Establishment’s media whores and fail to support Trump in the House and Senate elections. If the Democrats, whose politics is Identity Politics, get the House and/or Senate, Trump will be completely impotent. The Establishment hopes to drive the lesson home to every future presidential candidate to never again appeal to the people over the vested interests of the Establishment.In America democracy is a scam. The oligarchy rules, and the people, no matter how they suffer under the oligarch’s rule, must submit and accept. No more presidential candidates, please, who represent the people. This is the lesson that the Establishment hopes to teach the rabble in the midterm elections.What should this election be about? If America had an independent media, the election would be about the dangerous situation created by Washington that has caused two militarily powerful countries to prepare for war with the US. This is the most serious development of my lifetime. Everything President Reagan worked for has been overthrown for the material interests of the power and profit of the military/security complex.If America had an independent media, the election would be about the American police state that, based on the 9/11 lie, the weapons of mass destruction lie, the use of chemical weapons lie, the Iranian nukes lie, the Russian invasion of Ukraine lie, was accepted by the insouciant Americans. Those responsible for these lies, which have caused massive war crimes, for which US administrations should be indicted, are feted and rich. The rest of us have experienced the loss of civil liberty and privacy. Any individual in the way of the police state is mowed down.If America had an independent media, the election would be about the de-industrialization of the United States. Today, as this article makes clear—https://thesaker.is/the-pentagon-realised-what-it-has-done-the-chinese-put-the-us-army-on-its-knees/ —the offshoring of American manufacturing and industry has reduced the US military to dependence on Chinese suppliers.And the Trump administration starts trouble with China!If America had an independent media, the election would be about the 20 years of US and NATO/EU war crimes against Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen, and US and NATO support for Israel’s war crimes against the remnants of the Palestinian people, and US and NATO/EU support for the neo-nazi regime established by the Obama regime in Ukraine to commit war crimes against the breakaway Russian provinces, the populations of which refuse to become victims of Washington’s overthrow of the democratic elected Ukrainian government and installation by “America’s first black president” of a neo-nazi regime. If America had an independent media, the election would be about the orchastrated demonization of Iran. The completely stupid dope that Trump appointed Secretary of State just declared (the utter fool should not be permitted to open his mouth) that Washington was going to drive Iran into the ground unless the government agreed to behave like a normal state.What does Pompeo mean by a “normal state.” He means a state that takes its marching orders from Washington. Iran has not invaded any country. The government in power is the continuation of the government that overthrew the Shah, a dictator imposed on Iran by Washington when Washington and London overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran.What the despicable Pompeo is really saying is that Iran has to go, because Iran, like Syria, is in the way of Israel’s expansion into southern Lebanon, because Iran and Syria supply the Hezbollah militia, which has twice defeated Israeli invasions of southern Lebanon. The vaunted Israeli army is only good for murdering women and children in the disarmed Gaza ghetto. If America had an independent media, someone would ask Pompeo precisely what Iran is doing that warrants Washington unilaterally, in the face of opposition of the European, Russian, and Chinese signatures to the Iran Nuclear Agreement, pulling out of the agreement and imposing sanctions that no other country on the planet, except Israel, supports?But, of course, America has no independent media. It has a collection of whores known as NPR, Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, MSCBS, Fox News, etc.Without an honest and independent media, there is no accountability of government. America has no honest and independent media. Therefore, in America there is no accountability of government. “The deplorables” are faced with a dilemma. The president they elected has been overcome by the establishment and cannot represent them. Instead, Trump gives his supporters warmonger John Bolton as National Security Advisor and warmonger Pompeo as US Secretary of State. He might as well have appointed Adolf Hitler. In fact, Hitler was a more reasonable person.So again, America is having an election in which nothing of any importance is discussed. Unless the American people rise up in armed rebellion, they are finished as a free people, and, of course, they cannot rise up in armed rebellion. Not so much because the police and every agency of the government has been militarized as because Jewish cultural Marxism and the Democratic Party’s Identity Policics have the American people disorganized and at one another’s throats. Cultural Marxism and Identity Politics have divided the American population into victims and victimizers. The true victimizers and true victims are not part of the picture, which is a construction that serves ideological agendas. It is not the oligarchy that is the victimizer, but the Trump-voting white male. It is not the multi-billionaires, but the marginalized former manufacturing and industrial work force that is the source of oppression. This former work force is black and white, but the Democratic Party’s Identity Politics has blacks and whites at each other’s throats. My conclusion is that America is doomed. The people, with few exceptions, are not smart enough to continue to exist. Perhaps the outcome of the elections tomorrow will change my mind. If the vote goes to the Establishment, all is lost.https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/11/05/what-this-election-is-about/

UPDATE: The people voted for the Democrat candidates in the House. This will strangle the Trump White House. Barring evidence of electronic voting machine fraud (which is possible) it seems that PCR was right - that the people are not savvy enough to support Trump's anti-globalist agenda.

While President Trump might have establishment backing to some degree, at least he appears to be a nationalist, which is what is needed to bring back the US industrial base and jobs.

[ISS] On 6 November the United Nations (UN) Security Council renewed the authorisation for international naval forces to carry out anti-piracy measures off Somalia's coast. It is now 10 years since the first resolution was passed in 2008 to respond to piracy and robbery against humanitarian and commercial ships in the region.

The speeches of these representatives were characterized mainly as Iran bashing and condemnations, particularly the speeches of the American representatives; Mattis and McGurk, and the Bahraini and Saudi ministers. While their governments are pursuing hegemonic policies within the region, they accuse Iran of pursuing a hegemonic Iranian Crescent, previously called Shi’ite Crescent, covering Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Iran did not impose itself on these countries. Lebanese Hezbollah requested Iranian help to free Lebanon from the 1982 Israeli occupation. Syria requested Iranian help to defeat American/Israeli/Gulf States supported terrorist groups. Yemen cannot get any outside help due to the air and sea siege imposed by American/Saudi/UAE’s forces.